Issue 21, 2010
From the journal:

Journal of Materials Chemistry

Biaxial nematic phases

Carsten Tschierske*a  and  Demetri J. Photinos*b  

* Corresponding authors

a Institute of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt Mothes Str. 2, Halle (Saale), Germany
E-mail: carsten.tschierske@chemie.uni-halle.de
Fax: +49 345 552 7346
Tel: +49 345 552 5664

b Department of Materials Science, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
E-mail: photinos@upatras.gr
Fax: +30 2610 997461
Tel: +30 2610 997461

Abstract

An overview over the current state of research in the field of biaxial nematic liquid crystalline materials is given. After a short introduction, providing some general aspects and summarizing the classical approaches, the main part focuses on recent developments of new concepts for designing biaxial nematics. First, the major theoretical concepts are outlined, including the classification to different symmetries, the importance of cooperativity and cluster formation for the development of biaxial order and the conditions for the establishment of field induced and spontaneous biaxiality in nematic phases. These new concepts also require the re-evaluation of the tools used for the identification of phase biaxiality, which are discussed briefly. In the second part, recent progress in the design of potential biaxial nematic materials, especially focussing on bent-core molecules with nematic phases, is reported and, finally, comparisons with phase biaxiality as observed in smectic liquid crystals are made.

Graphical abstract: Biaxial nematic phases

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/B924810B
Article type
20th Anniversary Article
Submitted
25 Nov 2009
Accepted
15 Feb 2010
First published
14 Apr 2010

J. Mater. Chem., 2010,20, 4263-4294

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Biaxial nematic phases

C. Tschierske and D. J. Photinos, J. Mater. Chem., 2010, 20, 4263 DOI: 10.1039/B924810B

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